Inner Strength
by LilPixie04
Summary: Caitlin is Buffy's sister and also a Slayer. Craving some excitement, Caitlin moves to LA and soon joins Angel Investigations, but getting closer to Angel leads to more than she expected...Crap summary but READ IT ANYWAY! Short story. COMPLETE.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer; just for the records, I own none of the lovely characters from Angel, unfortunately, because Joss Whedon still refuses to surrender them to me. Boo hoo.  
  
Authors Note; hey anyone who decides to read this. This is my first piece of fanfic so I apologise if it is amazingly pathetic. Also im crap at writing summaries so anyone who read it thinking this was a romance, its not. This is more of an episode than a story cause its pretty short, and it is finished so please R&R and let me know whether I should post the rest of it or not. Please don't send me any flames though; my fragile ego may not be able to take it.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Caitlin sat at the bar in Caritas, a tall pink cocktail in front of her, looking miserable. Since coming to LA just over a year ago, Caitlin had discovered a new family within Angel Investigations, and had settled right into the LA lifestyle. Just recently though, she had realised that certain 'feelings' had gradually developed within her towards one of her close friends, and she wasn't sure she liked, or could cope with these feelings. Despite being a vampire with a soul, and the inevitable chaos that would develop if his curse was broken, there was also Buffy to consider. Angel had been Buffy's true love. They had been soul mates, torn apart by tragic consequences. Caitlin could never hope to replace Buffy in Angel's life. She had left such a huge, black hole in his undead life that nobody would ever be able to fill. And even if there was the slightest chance that Angel would ever like her more than a friend, how could Caitlin allow herself to make the same mistake that her sister had done several years ago?  
  
Caitlin sighed heavily and took another sip of her cocktail. Up on stage, a lumpy, kind of slimy looking demon was attempting to sing "I Will Always Love You", but was successfully murdering the ballad. Lorne sat beside Caitlin at the bar, trying to cheer her up.  
  
"...so don't wait around for him. If he can't see how gorgeous you are and how big your heart is then he doesn't deserve you."  
  
Caitlin smiled a little at this and looked at Lorne hopefully. "You really think so?"  
  
"Hey, I'm the Host, I know these things! Now, sweetie, you need to have yourself some serious fun. Just let it all out and forget about your problems for one night."  
  
Caitlin looked over at a nearby group of guys (some human, some not) that looked like they were having a great time. One of the human guys, the cutest one, saw Caitlin looking at them and smiled at her, beckoning her over. After a moment's hesitation, she smiled back and said to Lorne, "You know, I think I just might do that!"  
  
Lorne smiled as she headed off towards the guys, drink in hand and full of flirtiness.  
  
***  
  
"Hey. Has anyone seen Caitlin this morning?" Angel asked as he came down the stairs into the reception of the Hyperion Hotel, carefully avoiding the patches of sunlight streaming through the windows.  
  
Cordelia looked up from the computer, a mischievous grin on her face, "Little Miss Dirty Stop-out didn't come home last night." That seemed to get everyone's attention.  
  
Fred looked at Cordy, surprised, "Really? That's not like her."  
  
"Oh please! That is so like her," Cordy replied. "The girl has no shame."  
  
"Well, I say good for her," Gunn said as he dropped a pile of dusty old books on the counter in front of Wesley. "That girl was in dire need of some fun."  
  
"Yes, she has been rather down lately," Wesley added without looking up from a particularly old book he was studying.  
  
"She has?" Angel asked, feigning surprise. He had noticed that Caitlin wasn't quite her usual (and sometimes annoyingly) cheerful self lately, and hadn't been for a while now. And, unfortunately, he had a feeling he knew what was bothering her, though he didn't want to let on to the others.  
  
"She's been so lacking in the fun department lately, even I been gettin' depressed." Gunn stated.  
  
"Well, what do you think could be wrong with her?" Angel asked, hoping that he could have gotten the wrong end of the stick entirely.  
  
Cordelia shrugged, "Every time I tried to find out she just changed the subject."  
  
Angel thought about this for a second, realising he was most probably right in his conclusion. He sighed inaudibly, knowing a difficult and probably slightly embarrassing conversation with Caitlin was facing him, and there was no way of avoiding it. He'd tried that before; it didn't help. "Well, maybe I should go look for her," he said distractedly, deciding it would be better to get this over and done with as soon as possible.  
  
"Hey, Mr Bright Idea," Cordelia called to Angel as he turned to leave. "It's ten in the morning. Unless you wanna get fried extra crispy, you'd better stay indoors and let me do the looking."  
  
Angel looked out the windows at the bright sunshine beating down on the hotel gardens outside. "Oh," he said a little sheepishly, "Right. Maybe you should go."  
  
Cordelia nodded and grabbed her bag, glad for a chance to get outside and show off her new and very flattering outfit on the street. Nobody had even batted an eyelid in the hotel.  
  
"She probably just met a guy, right?" Fred asked tentatively as Cordy left.  
  
*** 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer; none of the characters are mine, sadly, except for Caitlin. I wouldn't mind Angel though, so if you're reading, Joss...*sweet innocent smile*  
  
Author's Note; Okay, here it is, chapter two especially for my lovely (and first of many I hope) reviewer, dogspikelover11. Keep reading and I'll keep writing.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Cordelia descended the stairs into Caritas and looked around for Lorne. Seeing him stood at the bar talking to one of his barmen, Cordy headed over to him.  
  
"Cordelia! To what do we owe the pleasure?" Lorne announced with a smile.  
  
Always the charmer, Cordelia thought to herself. "Our favourite super- girl didn't come home last night and she's been pretty unhappy lately, big emphasis on the UN."  
  
"Tell me about it," Lorne replied. "That girl's suffering from some major heartache. I thought she was gonna burst into tears right in front of me."  
  
"She was here last night?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Was and still is," Lorne said, leading Cordy through to a bedroom at the back of the club, where Caitlin lay on a huge, red satin covered bed, fast asleep. "She had a few too many pinkies."  
  
"Pinkies?"  
  
"Cocktail. Raoul's speciality. The blue ones are great but the pink ones - lethal concoction," Lorne explained with a shiver of displeasure.  
  
"How many did she have?" Cordelia asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"More than one, and believe me, one is enough. She was out cold after an hour or so, and passing out on a table – very unattractive, so I had her brought in here for safe keeping. She is not gonna be a happy bunny when she wakes up."  
  
"Yeah, can't wait for that!" Cordy replied sarcastically as Lorne left her to it.  
  
***  
  
"Cordelia should have found her by now, right?" Angel said, worried that Caitlin had not turned up yet. Perhaps she had run into trouble of the fanged variety last night. Being a Slayer didn't mean she was totally invulnerable.  
  
"Whatever's wrong with her - she wouldn't - I mean, you don't think she'd...do anything stupid, do you?" Fred asked quietly.  
  
"I think Caitlin's smarter than that. Whatever problem she has, she'd come to us long before it ever got that serious," Wesley said reassuringly.  
  
Just then the doors to the hotel opened, letting sunlight stream into the reception area. Cordelia and Caitlin entered the hotel, letting the doors swing closed behind them.  
  
"Look who I found, safe and sound as promised," Cordelia announced to everyone.  
  
"Caitlin!" Angel said, relieved she was okay, "What happened -"  
  
Caitlin said nothing but held up a hand, signalling for Angel to back off. Holding her head as if in pain, she headed up the stairs to a room she sometimes used when it was too late to go back to the apartment she shared with Cordelia. As she disappeared upstairs, Angel looked to Cordelia for an explanation.  
  
"I found her at Caritas. Lorne said she was drowning her sorrows with Raoul's special pink cocktails," Cordy said.  
  
"Oooh, never touch the pink ones," Gunn said knowingly with a wince.  
  
"Exactly," Cordelia continued, "And apparently she had more than a few. So she'll be feeling a little delicate for the rest of the day."  
  
***  
  
Angel knocked softly on Caitlin's door. There was a muffled reply that sounded something like 'come in' so he opened the door and went inside. Caitlin sat on her bed, curled up with her head in her arms.  
  
Boy, this was gonna be awkward.  
  
"Hey," Angel said softly, sitting beside her on the bed. "I brought coffee and doughnuts." He set them down on the table beside her, stalling for time. "How are you feeling?" Caitlin didn't respond, so he added tentatively, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"  
  
Caitlin slowly lifted her head to look at him. She didn't look too happy. "I think there's something wrong with me."  
  
Angel smiled sympathetically and replied, "That would be the after affects of those pink cocktails you were drinking last night."  
  
Caitlin slowly shook her head, careful not to make the pain any worse. "No, not that – something else..."  
  
Angel looked concerned, "What do you mean?"  
  
Caitlin took a deep breath, "Well, you know my perfect hand-eye co- ordination?" She looked behind him and he turned to see what she was looking at. A dartboard hung on the far wall, surrounded by knives – some sticking in the wall, some lying on the floor – everywhere but the dartboard. Angel turned back to Caitlin, realising that something was wrong. "Oh, and this," she added, pointing to the still swollen black eye that she had received as a memento from a particularly vicious fight with a really disgusting demon a few nights ago, "Not healing as fast as it should." She sighed heavily and brushed her hair back out of her face. "Angel, I'm getting weaker, I can feel it...something's wrong..."  
  
*** 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer; I want all of them!! But they're not mine *sniff*  
  
A/N; hey, I have a new reviewer! Woohoo! PadFootCc, I hope that "O my goodness" was a good sign? Well, here's the next chapter anyhow, hope you like it. P.s. Anyone else who reads this, if you don't have anything nice to say, please don't post a review. Constructive criticism is welcome but flames just hurt my feelings. This is only my first story. And if you don't like it, then don't read it! Anyway, on with the story...  
  
Chapter 3  
  
As Caitlin descended the stairs to the hotel reception area, she heard Angel and the others discussing her situation. Angel looked up as she walked over to them. "Hey, you feel any better?"  
  
Caitlin silently shook her head. She was trying hard not to show how worried she felt. Her usual cool, playful attitude had abandoned her. Losing her strength was serious. Without it she'd no longer be a Slayer. She'd just be a regular, vulnerable girl...and the thought of being helpless against all the horrors that she knew were out there scared her more than anything she'd ever had to face.  
  
While the guys continued to discuss the problem, Caitlin headed over to the weapons cabinet. Looking at all the vicious weapons, she chose a long, heavy looking sword that she'd used many times in battle with no problem at all. She lifted the sword off its holder...and nearly dropped it with the surprising weight. Feeling determined though, she hefted the sword up into a fighting position and tried to swing it as though in battle, but the weight proved too much. In utter frustration, Caitlin let go of the sword, letting it clatter to the floor.  
  
At the sudden noise, the others stopped mid discussion and looked across the room at her. Fighting back tears of frustration, she looked at them all and cried desperately, "What's wrong with me?!"  
  
***  
  
When Caitlin had calmed down, she leaned on the counter in the lobby, looking utterly miserable, while Wesley questioned her about when she'd first felt she was losing her powers and how it could have been caused.  
  
"Wesley," she sighed, exasperated, "I already told you, I don't know. I just started feeling strange and then I gradually got weaker. I don't know what caused it. If I did, I'd be out there trying to fix it." As she spoke, she wandered over to the hotel doors and looked out at the night sky, the stars twinkling away merrily, oblivious to her torment.  
  
"And when did you first start to feel that something was wrong?" Wesley pressed, old books open on the table in front of him.  
  
"I don't know. Last night maybe," Caitlin replied.  
  
Wesley looked up, "Before or after you arrived at Caritas?"  
  
Caitlin turned back to look at him across the reception, "After I guess. But what does that have to do with..." she trailed off, realising what Wesley was getting at. "The cocktails!"  
  
"Precisely," Wesley replied. "I think there may have been something in the cocktails."  
  
"Someone spiked my drink?!" Caitlin said, panic rising within her.  
  
"Someone - or something?" Gunn asked darkly.  
  
"What could they have given her?" Angel asked Wesley.  
  
Wesley looked doubtful, "Well, it's hard to say. Without knowing who 'they' are, we can't know their motives..."  
  
"Buffy!" Caitlin said suddenly.  
  
"What?" Angel asked, confused at the mention of his ex.  
  
Caitlin looked at them all, explaining what she remembered, "On Buffy's 18th birthday the council had her drugged and locked up in a house with a crazy vampire."  
  
"Of course, the test -" Wesley said.  
  
"The drug made her weak so she couldn't fight him." Caitlin added.  
  
"Oh my god, who would do that?" Fred exclaimed, horrified at the idea.  
  
"Her Watcher," Angel replied darkly, remembering what Buffy had told him.  
  
"Giles did that?" Cordy exclaimed, then added triumphantly, "I knew all librarians were evil!"  
  
"I'm not, "Said Fred meekly. "At least, I don't think I am."  
  
"Guys! Missing the point," Caitlin cut in, "What if it's the same drug the council used and someone's planning to do the same to me?"  
  
"Don't worry," Angel said to her. "I won't let anything happen to you." She looked at him and nodded, feeling a little reassured knowing that he would protect her.  
  
"That's not possible, "Wesley continued. "The council were the only one's who had access to that drug. It was kept well hidden, nobody else knew it existed."  
  
Caitlin looked at Wesley and replied, "Well, the council aren't around to protect it anymore, are they?"  
  
Before anyone could reply to that, the lights suddenly went out, plunging them all into darkness.  
  
"Okay, that can't be good," Cordy said, panicked.  
  
"Everyone stay calm. Where's the fuse box?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Around the side of the building...outside," Cordy said  
  
"That's not good!" Fred said worriedly.  
  
"Heads up guys, we got company," Angel said, sensing intruders.  
  
A muffled scream suddenly sounded out, followed by a thump, coming from across the room where Caitlin was. With his heightened vampire senses, Angel was able to see through the darkness. Across the lobby, Caitlin was under attack from large black figures.  
  
"Caitlin!" he cried, leaping into action, but before he could reach her a heavy baseball bat swung out of nowhere and connected with the back of his skull. The impact sent Angel to his knees, dazing him for a moment. Before he could get to his feet again, someone from behind stabbed him through the back with a stake, narrowly missing his heart. He cried out in pain and the attackers took the opportunity to escape, knowing the others posed no threat as they were blind in the dark.  
  
After a few seconds the lights came back on and Wesley appeared through the doors.  
  
"Angel!" Cordy gasped when she saw him. She and Fred rushed over to help him up.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?!" Gunn asked, watching as Angel pulled the stake out, wincing in pain.  
  
"They took Caitlin."  
  
*** 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer; they're not mine...yadda yadda...Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, yadda yadda...  
  
A/N; I took into consideration the helpful criticism I received and after visiting the website suggested to me (thanks Eva), realised what a total Slayer-Sue my character is. Im sorry. I made some little adjustments to the first three chapters and im currently reworking the rest of them. I hope they make a difference. I couldn't really alter the fact that Caitlin was a Slayer cause otherwise the whole plot of the story won't work. Sorry if people still think its crap. Im not overly imaginative so I couldn't think up any amazing changes, but I promise I'll work on the whole 'Mary-Sue' situation before posting my next story. P.s. thanks to all my lovely reviewers. Im glad you like it so far, and I really appreciate the constructive criticism. Oh and btw, does anybody have some good demon names? R&R and let me know.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Angel winced from the pain as Cordy bandaged the wound left by the stake. It was already starting to heal over, but he knew it would slow him down for a while; just what he couldn't afford.  
  
"You're lucky. A few inches to the left and you'd be a pile on the floor right now," Cordy said as she finished dressing the wound.  
  
Angel stood up and, carefully putting his shirt back on, headed towards the doors.  
  
"Where are you going?" Wesley asked.  
  
"I have to go after them," Angel replied determinedly.  
  
"No way Angel, you're not exactly fit to fight right now," Cordy protested. "And you don't even know what we're up against."  
  
"I can't just leave her to get killed." Angel told her, a little heatedly. He hadn't meant to snap at Cordelia but she didn't fully grasp the situation. When Caitlin had arrived in LA, Angel had made a solemn promise to Buffy that he wouldn't let anything happen to her younger sister. She wasn't half as experienced as Buffy, and she had a certain arrogance that often led her into more trouble than she was capable of handling on her own. If anything happened to her, he didn't know how he'd be able to face Buffy. She'd trusted him with Caitlin's life, and he wasn't about to let her down. He looked around at the others and added, "They took me out for a reason. Something's gonna happen to Caitlin and I have to protect her."  
  
Wesley walked over to the weapons cabinet and took out a menacing looking axe, "We have to protect her."  
  
Angel nodded, and everyone grabbed a weapon.  
  
***  
  
As Caitlin slowly came back to consciousness, she felt a dull, throbbing pain in the back of her head. She opened her eyes a little to make sure the coast was clear. When she thought it was, she opened her eyes completely and looked around. As far as she could tell, she was in some kind of old, abandoned warehouse. Looking up at the wall next to her, she realised the row of high windows that ran the length of the building had all been bricked up to stop people getting in. Or, she thought, more likely to stop her from getting out.  
  
She couldn't see any doors from where she lay, so she sat up, cautiously so as not to make the pain in her head worse. As she did so, a deep, rumbling growl reached her ears. Trying hard to keep calm, she slowly turned around to face the direction in which the growl had come from. What she saw made her wish she'd never woken up...  
  
***  
  
...A giant reptilian monster stood before her, drool oozing from the corners of its huge mouth. Caitlin counted at least two rows of teeth in the creature's mouth, each with a set of vicious looking fangs. On each three-toed foot, lethal claws protruded each a foot in length or more, and a multiple spiked tail swung back and forth over its shoulder.  
  
As Caitlin looked up into the creatures evil red eyes, panic overtook her. She leapt to her feet and ran as fast as she could, dodging between old broken down machinery and stacks of boxes and crates, desperately looking for a way out.  
  
The creature lunged at her and managed to grab hold of her leg with its claws. Caitlin cried out as she fell to the floor and kicked out at it, but its teeth connected with her foot. She screamed in agony as razor sharp teeth bit down hard on her ankle. Forcing herself to move through the pain, she reached out and grabbed a thick plank of wood. She swung it as hard as she could and it connected with the monster's skull with a loud THWACK. It barely dazed the creature, but for a second it loosened its grip and Caitlin was able to pull free.  
  
Dragging herself to her feet and wincing with pain, Caitlin ran for a door at the back of the warehouse. The creature lunged for her again, but Caitlin dived behind a huge piece of machinery at the last minute. The creature was unable to stop as quickly and it crashed into the machinery, getting itself tangled in some heavy chains. Caitlin seized the opportunity and, mustering all her remaining strength, threw herself through a door at the back of the warehouse, slamming it shut behind her and throwing the heavy bolt across to lock it.  
  
Outside, the creature managed to struggle free and rammed at the door with a thunderous blow. Caitlin let out a shriek of terror as the heavy door rattled under the pressure, and she backed further into the room. She looked around and realised that there were no windows or doors in this small room. She was trapped.  
  
As the creature continued to rain blows on the door, Caitlin backed as far as she could away from the door and slid down the wall to sit huddled in the corner, tears streaming down her face with pain and fear as realisation set in. Without her Slayer strength and abilities her usual cool exterior gave way to total panic. Her worst fear had come true; she was just a normal girl...with no chance of escaping this alive.  
  
*** 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer; they're not mine...yadda yadda...Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, yadda yadda...  
  
A/N; sorry I took so long to post this chapter, my teachers all seem to hate me right now as they are piling on the work. School sucks. Anyway, I've been raking my brains to figure out how to insert Buffy into this story, and so far I haven't come up with a solution. Would it be really terrible if she didn't show up? Anyway, I'll keep working on it. The story is pretty much coming to a close now, so it won't be easy to rewrite. Let me know if anyone has any ideas. And many, many, many, many huge thank-you's to all my beautiful reviewers: Lili, Kelly, Angel's Guardian, Eva, Glittering Rain, PadFootCc and dogspikelover11. Keep R'n'Ring and I shall do my very best to keep it interesting. xXx  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Angel sped along the streets of LA, following Caitlin's scent with his powerful vampire senses, as Wesley searched through some books he had brought along, trying to get an idea of what they might be facing.  
  
"Are you sure the attackers back at the hotel were human?" Wesley asked, without looking up.  
  
"Positive. They needed the cover of darkness to attack, and they didn't smell like demons," Angel replied.  
  
"Urgh, did anyone ever tell you this whole smelling people thing is really gross?" Cordy observed from the back seat beside Fred and Gunn.  
  
Wesley ignored her and continued, "If they're human then they must be planning to raise or summon something..."  
  
"Yeah Wesley, but what? Times a tickin!" Gunn said impatiently.  
  
"Ah-ha...oh dear..."  
  
Angel glanced at the Englishman, knowing only too well what that exclamation meant. "How bad is it?"  
  
"Well - tonight of all nights just happens to be the 2000th anniversary of the death of Leviathan, one of the fiercest demons ever to roam the earth..."  
  
"Great! Just what I wanted to hear," Cordy muttered.  
  
"However," Wesley continued, sounding a little more hopeful, "If it is Leviathan they're planning to raise, he won't be at full strength yet."  
  
"So we can kick his ass?" Gunn asked hopefully.  
  
"He will take on his mortal form until the ritual is complete," Wesley added.  
  
"What does he have to do to gain full strength?" Angel asked without taking his eyes off the road. There was always a catch.  
  
Wesley swallowed and read aloud from the book on his lap, "To become immortal, Leviathan must – ingest the flesh of a Slayer...before midnight tonight."  
  
Everyone looked at the clock on the dashboard.  
  
It read 23:36.  
  
***  
  
The creature had stopped attacking the door and all was quiet except for something that sounded like far away chanting.  
  
Caitlin sat huddled in the corner, cheeks glistening with tears, breathing deeply to keep herself calm. As she moved to wrap her arms around herself, something fell out of the pocket of her jeans. Curious, she picked it up and unfolded it to reveal a photo. It was of Caitlin with Buffy and Dawn, and their mom, taken at Caitlin's surprise 18th birthday party at the Bronze back in Sunnydale. Caitlin remembered how great that day had been. She'd never wanted it to end. They were all smiling and looking happy in the photo, oblivious to all the pain and heartache that was shortly to follow.  
  
Their mother had died just a week after that photo had been taken. The pain of their loss had been unbearable, but the sisters had learned to share their grief and to help each other through it all. Then, of course, there had been the whole fiasco with Dawn and Glory, the powerful Hellgod intent on destroying the earth...but defeated - at the cost of Buffy's life...  
  
Their friends had not let it be, though. Willow had brought Buffy back from the dead, believing they were rescuing their brave friend from a torturous hell dimension.  
  
They were wrong.  
  
She had been torn out of a place of eternal peace and thrown back into violence and turmoil. Learning that Buffy felt this way shocked Caitlin and made her feel overwhelming guilt at having taken part in such a terrible act. But it was done, and there was no going back, so Caitlin promised that she would help Buffy to find her way again. And she had done. Buffy seemed to get better, eventually, although Caitlin couldn't help noticing that she had never completely returned to normal. Understandable, considering all that had happened. Buffy had been through so much...so much more than Caitlin could ever handle...  
  
...Buffy...  
  
...If Buffy were here right now, she wouldn't be huddled in this corner, crying like a coward...  
  
This thought made Caitlin snap out of her fear. Buffy would make it through this, somehow. She wouldn't give up the fight so easily.  
  
Slowly, Caitlin began to get angry. Even before becoming a Slayer, she'd never gone down without at least taking her opponent with her. She was a fighter, not a coward, she always had been. She stood up and wiped away her tears, putting the photo back in her pocket. Surveying the room for a weapon of some kind, her eyes settled on a long, wicked looking dagger lying on a bench in the corner. She mentally kicked herself for not having noticed it when she entered the room, and picked it up. It felt comfortable in her hand, like it belonged somehow.  
  
Feeling more confident now that she held something to defend herself with, she stood facing the door and took a deep breath. After all she'd been through since becoming a Slayer; she was not going to die. Not now, not like this.  
  
"Not today, asshole!" she growled through clenched teeth, and pulled open the door.  
  
***  
  
A/N; Leviathan - (Hebrew) the serpent of the raging sea. Grand admiral of hell. Seen as androgynous. And for any nitpickers, I know Angel probably wouldn't be able to follow one persons scent all the way across a city but this is my story with my rules. Plus, im pretty sure he used to follow Buffy's scent all over Sunnydale. He appeared out of nowhere quite a lot. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer; none of the characters are mine, sadly, except for Caitlin. I wouldn't mind Angel though, so if you're reading, Joss...*sweet innocent smile*  
  
A/N; I love you guys, you're all great!! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story, but it's coming to a close now, sadly. Told you it was more of an episode than a story, (if I write long stories they tend to never get finished!). There's only one more chapter after this, but I have plans for the next episode and I'll be posting the first chapter as soon as it's complete. Lili - I'm glad you liked the "Not today, Asshole" line, my friends thought that was great too. It was such a Buffy thing to say, I couldn't resist. Girl Power!! LiamLover89 – I'm writing, I'm writing!! It's nice to know my work is appreciated. And now I shall stop rambling and let you read...  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Angel drove along the dark and deserted docks, looking for anything unusual. He knew Caitlin was here somewhere, he could sense her.  
  
"Ah, guys? Looks like we got company," Gunn announced, pointing towards a huge depot ahead of them. Outside were a group of what they took to be humans, dressed in robes and chanting around a fire, obviously performing some kind of ritual. As they drove nearer, the figures noticed them and pulled weapons out from beneath their robes.  
  
Angel and the others got out of the car with their own weapons, ready for a fairly easy fight, but as they did so, the robed figures drew back their hoods to reveal hideously mutated heads.  
  
"Euw, gross!" Cordy exclaimed, repulsed at the sight. "I thought you said they were human?"  
  
"Okay, so there are five of us and twenty of them. We're down a Slayer and you're injured," Gunn said to Angel, sounding a little apprehensive.  
  
"You're point being?" Angel asked, keeping his eyes on the demons.  
  
Gunn grinned and raised his axe, "This is gonna be fun!" and with that the demons charged at them, leaving them no choice but to fight.  
  
***  
  
Caitlin cautiously stepped through the door, looking all around her. All was quiet and the creature was nowhere in sight. But Caitlin knew better than to think it was gone. Quickly and carefully she moved through the warehouse, keeping to the shadows, preparing herself to run if needed.  
  
Suddenly there was a crash behind her and she spun around, instantly alert, dagger held high...  
  
...Nothing...  
  
Then another crash sounded from the other end of the warehouse. Caitlin spun around again, but again she saw nothing. A deep growl echoed all around her, seemingly from every direction at once, and Caitlin felt herself start to panic. Taking a deep breath to calm herself she tried to remember her slayer training lessons that Giles and Buffy had tried to give her. She really wished she paid attention back then.  
  
Then without warning the creature leapt from the shadows, lunging for Caitlin, claws outstretched and fangs bared. Caitlin dived to the side just in time and the creature sailed right past, missing her by inches. It used the momentum of its leap and rebounded off the wall, leaping at her again. This time it caught her and knocked her to the ground, winding her and making her drop the dagger. Its claws raked across her back digging in deep as she tried to reach for the dagger. She cried out in surprise and pain as blood seeped from her wounds.  
  
***  
  
Angel heard Caitlin's cry of pain and smelt fresh blood. Human blood. He had to get inside but the demons were a lot stronger than he had expected and he was worried for the other's safety.  
  
Gunn was holding his own, slashing and bashing demons in every direction. He'd already killed three and was nowhere near tired yet. Wesley, surprisingly, was doing equally as well as Gunn, piling up the victims. Fred and Cordy were working together, watching each others backs and making a fearsome duo with the razor sharp axes they wielded.  
  
Angel managed to shake off the three that were holding him down, throwing them backwards into the fire they had been chanting around.  
  
By now, there were only six or seven of the demons left. They should be a piece of cake.  
  
***  
  
The creature had Caitlin pinned to the floor, her dagger was just out of reach. It was growling, low and menacing, as though it knew it had won the fight and now it was just waiting, torturing her. The claws of its foot pinning her down were slowly sinking into her flesh and it was all Caitlin could do not to scream. Whoever it was that had locked her in here, she would not give them the satisfaction of hearing her in pain.  
  
She had all but given up hope when the creature raised itself for the final killing blow, releasing her just enough so that she could snatch the dagger from the floor beside her.  
  
With lightening reflexes born of trying to escape punishment in her younger years, Caitlin twisted to lie on her back and brought the dagger up before her. The creature lunged down at her just as she held up her weapon. The momentum of the fall was too much and the creature was unable to stop from impaling itself. The dagger sank deep into the creature's throat like butter. It thrashed around and let out a piercing wail as Caitlin pulled herself free of its grip and backed against the wall with her hands over her ears.  
  
The doors to the warehouse suddenly exploded inwards as the creature let out a final, mournful wail and fell to the floor, dead.  
  
For a second, Angel and the others just stood in the doorway, staring in surprise and disbelief at the scene before them; Caitlin huddled against the wall, covered in blood, and a huge, terrifying monster lying dead in a pool of blood at her feet.  
  
Angel knelt down in front of Caitlin and reached out to touch her. She jolted away from him, shaking and still in shock, staring at the creature.  
  
"Caitlin..." Angel said softly. She looked up at him with teary eyes, as though just realising he was there. Then she threw herself into his arms, tears of relief pouring down her face. Angel held her tightly, reassuring her that she was okay, and immensely relieved that she had survived the fight against such overwhelming odds. "It's okay now – you're alright...you're safe..."  
  
*** 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer; I own none of the lurvely Angel characters, they all belong to some guy named Joss...and I stole a phrase from a certain movie as well, goes by the name of Speed. So don't know who that belongs to but it's not mine.  
  
A/N; Nobody reviewed the last chapter *sniff* was it really that bad? Ah, who cares, I'm giving you more anyway! So here it is. The end. Told u it was short. I will get working on some more episodes though, so any ideas will be welcomed greatly.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"Ouch!" Caitlin winced at the pain, both in her back and her foot. She sat on the desk behind the counter at the hotel, with Angel gently bandaging her foot and Cordelia carefully cleaning and dressing the deep claw wounds on her back. The creature had certainly left its mark, and without the accelerated healing her Slayer powers usually gave her, it was going to hurt for quite a while yet.  
  
Wesley entered the room holding a syringe full of some yellowish liquid. Caitlin noticed what he held and began inching away from him. "That had better not be for me!" she warned.  
  
"I researched the council's archives – well, what's left of them – and found the ingredients to reverse the effects of the drug you were given," Wesley said, stepping closer.  
  
Again Caitlin tried to wriggle further away, but this time Angel held on to her. She looked again at the needle and gave Wesley her best wounded puppy dog look.  
  
"I'm afraid that won't work on me, so it's no use trying," Wesley told her sternly.  
  
Reluctantly, Caitlin sighed and held her arm out to Wesley, purposely looking the other way.  
  
"Ah, - erm...it – it doesn't go there," Wesley said awkwardly.  
  
Caitlin's head snapped back to look at Wesley sharply. "Oh no, no way! Na-ah!" she protested.  
  
"If you want to recover from this then I'm afraid it's the only way," Wesley told her.  
  
"Why can't I just wait till it wears off?" Caitlin asked hopefully.  
  
"Because it could be weeks before it wears off naturally," Angel told her, "Do you really want to be weak and helpless that long?"  
  
Caitlin looked offended at this, "I am not weak and helpless!"  
  
Angel moved like lightening and in an instant he held her arm gently but firmly behind her back so that she was defenceless and he could easily break her neck or worse. After a moment, he released her and Caitlin pushed him away sulkily, "Yeah, well, that was unfair. Anyone's weak compared to you."  
  
Angel chuckled, knowing that his point had been proven, but she was just too proud to admit it. Wesley began to advance on her with the syringe, and Caitlin looked to Angel, hoping for some last minute salvation. Instead he held her arm firmly, partly to help her balance with her injured foot, and partly to prevent her from making a run for it.  
  
Reluctantly, and with a defeated pout, Caitlin lowered the waistband of her favourite pink sweatpants to reveal the top of her left buttock. She looked away as Wesley leaned down to inject the antidote, and let out a small squeak of pain as she felt the needle pierce her skin.  
  
"There, all done!" Wesley said as Caitlin covered herself up, still pouting. Angel was grinning amusedly at her, and when she noticed this she narrowed her eyes at him and said, "What are you laughing at?" before limping over to the refrigerator. She took out a bottle of soda and stood there for a second, struggling to open it. Frustrated, she finally gave up and turned to see everyone watching her, trying not to laugh.  
  
"You guys are enjoying this way too much!" she said, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms in a sulk.  
  
Wesley took the bottle from her with a smile, "You know, it is okay to admit that sometimes you just need a big – strong – man – around..." He struggled with the bottle cap, but eventually realised he couldn't open it. Cordy sighed and took the bottle from him, opening it easily and passing it back to Caitlin.  
  
Everybody tried hard to keep a straight face, but failed as Wesley stood there looking foolish.  
  
Caitlin smirked and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yep, big and strong, Wes!" she said as they all laughed out loud.  
  
As everyone wandered away, going about they're business, Angel took the opportunity to speak to Caitlin while they were alone. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
"Sure, what's up?" Caitlin replied, jumping up to sit on the counter.  
  
Angel paused a moment, wondering how to phrase what he wanted to say. "I just...I mean, I wanted to talk to you about...us..."  
  
Caitlin stopped fidgeting and looked at Angel curiously. "...'Us'...as in – crime-fighting, monster-slaying, Angel Investigations 'us'?"  
  
Angel swallowed, anticipating how awkward this was going to be. "Us as in 'you and me' us."  
  
Caitlin's smile disappeared; "Oh..." she looked down at her feet, avoiding eye contact with him.  
  
"Look, I don't want things to get awkward between us, but...I don't..." Angel struggled, wanting to let her down easy.  
  
"It's okay," Caitlin looked up to face him. "I know what you're gonna say."  
  
"You do?" he asked tentatively, hoping she had not misread the signs.  
  
Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, I get it... You're still in love with Buffy. You always will be."  
  
Angel started to feel a little guilty. "Im sorry..."  
  
"Don't be. I'll get over it...besides, relationships in the workplace – always a big no-no." she smiled and Angel knew she'd be okay. The events of the last few days had evidently changed Caitlin somehow, Angel could tell. He had no idea how she had survived the ordeal, but something must have given her the strength to fight back. And it was that same strength that he knew would help her overcome anything.  
  
Caitlin gingerly lowered herself to the floor and limped towards the stairs. "And you know," she turned back to look at him, "Relationships based on extreme circumstances...they very rarely work out."  
  
She grinned at him and turned to negotiate the stairs with her injured foot. Angel smiled to himself and headed back to his room to sleep off the insanity of the last 24 hours. 


End file.
